# How Much Caffeine Is in a Chai Latte? Chai vs Coffee

A 12 oz chai latte has about 50 mg of caffeine, about half a cup of coffee. The caffeine comes from black tea, and the whole cup counts toward your water intake.

## Numbers the app uses

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Default serving | 350 ml (12 fl oz) |
| Hydration factor | 1.10 |
| Counts toward the daily goal | 350 ml per serving |
| Caffeine | 50 mg per serving |
| Calories | 45 kcal per 100 ml (158 kcal per serving) |

## Where the caffeine comes from

A chai latte is black tea brewed with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and ginger, then mixed with steamed milk and usually sweetened. It counts as 50 mg, close to the 47 mg for a 240 ml (8 fl oz) cup of [black tea](/drinks/black-tea/). A one-shot [latte](/drinks/latte/) has 63 mg and a cup of [black coffee](/drinks/black-coffee/) 95 mg.

Chai from cafes and from cartons of concentrate varies by brand and cup size. When the label gives a caffeine figure, use it.

A dirty chai adds a shot of espresso: 50 mg from the chai plus 63 mg from the shot, 113 mg in all, more than a cup of black coffee.

## A chai latte in the evening

On a typical five-hour half-life, a 50 mg chai latte at 4 pm still leaves about 21 mg at 11 pm. A dirty chai at the same hour leaves about 48 mg, above the model threshold of 41 mg that the [caffeine calculator](/tools/caffeine-cutoff/) uses for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult. The full curve is in [how long caffeine lasts](/guides/how-long-does-caffeine-last/).

## Does a chai latte count as water?

Yes. A chai latte is mostly milk and tea, and both did at least as well as water in the Beverage Hydration Index trial: hot tea and iced tea were no different from still water, and full-fat and skimmed milk were kept better. ([Maughan et al., 2016](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26702122/)) The caffeine does not change that. In a follow-up trial, drinks with up to 400 mg of caffeine per litre, almost three times as strong as a chai latte, made no difference to the urine that followed. ([Maughan et al., 2019](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29893590/))

Chai latte counts at a hydration factor of 1.10, the same as a latte. A 350 ml cup counts 350 ml toward your goal, and the factor lifts the live hydration level a little more than water.

The caffeine in every tea in the app:

| Drink | Serving | Caffeine | Per 100 ml |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Yerba Mate | 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) | 80 mg | 33 mg |
| Matcha Latte | 350 ml (12 fl oz) | 70 mg | 20 mg |
| Boba Tea | 475 ml (16 fl oz) | 50 mg | 11 mg |
| Chai Latte | 350 ml (12 fl oz) | 50 mg | 14 mg |
| Black Tea | 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) | 47 mg | 20 mg |
| Tea with Milk | 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) | 47 mg | 19 mg |
| Pu-Erh Tea | 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) | 40 mg | 17 mg |
| Oolong Tea | 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) | 38 mg | 16 mg |
| Green Tea | 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) | 30 mg | 13 mg |
| Iced Tea | 355 ml (12 fl oz) | 17 mg | 5 mg |
| Decaf Tea | 240 ml (8.1 fl oz) | 2 mg | 1 mg |

## Questions

### Does chai tea have caffeine?

Yes, from the black tea in it: about 50 mg in a chai latte. Chai made with rooibos in place of black tea has none.

### Is a chai latte stronger than coffee?

No. It has about half the caffeine of a cup of black coffee, and a little less than a one-shot latte.

### How much caffeine is in a dirty chai?

About 113 mg with one shot of espresso: 50 mg from the chai and 63 mg from the shot.

### Is a chai latte hydrating?

Yes. It counts in full toward your daily water goal, like tea and milk.

## Source

Hydration factors follow the Beverage Hydration Index. Maughan RJ, Watson P, Cordery PA, et al. “A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016;103(3):717-723. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26702122/

Page: https://waterchamp.app/drinks/chai-latte/